Minutemen (band)
Encyclopedia
Minutemen were an American
hardcore punk
band formed in San Pedro, California
in 1980. Composed of guitarist D. Boon
, bassist Mike Watt
and drummer George Hurley
, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs
before Boon's death in an automobile accident in December 1985. They were noted in the California punk community for a philosophy of "jamming econo" – a sense of thriftiness reflected in their touring and presentation – while their eclectic and experimental attitude was instrumental in pioneering alternative rock
.
and Mike Watt
met at age 13. Watt was walking through a park in their hometown of San Pedro, California, when Boon, playing a game of "army" with other boys, fell out of a tree right next to him, and found that his friends, one named Eskimo, must have ditched him. Both boys shared a passion for music; Boon's mother taught D. to play the guitar and suggested Watt learn to play bass. However, at first, Watt did not know the difference between bass and standard guitars. The pair eventually started playing music together, mostly covering songs from artists they admired. In the summer of 1973, Watt and Boon formed the Bright Orange Band with Boon's brother Joe on drums. In 1976 they discovered punk, however Boon's mother died and the Bright Orange Band disbanded shortly thereafter. The next year, the two joined a short-lived band called Starstruck.
Following Starstruck's disbandment, Boon and Watt met drummer George Hurley
and formed The Reactionaries
with vocalist Martin Tamburovich
.
After the Reactionaries disbanded, Boon and Watt formed Minutemen in January 1980. Watt has said their name had nothing at all to do with the brevity of their songs; rather, it was derived partly from the fabled minutemen militia of colonial times and partly to lampoon a right-wing reactionary
group of the 1960s that went by that name. In the documentary We Jam Econo
, Watt also states that the name was a play on "minute" (maɪˈnjuːt ). After a month with no drummer, during which Boon and Watt wrote their first songs, the band rehearsed and played a couple of early gigs with local welder Frank Tonche
on drums. The group had originally wanted George Hurley to join, but he had joined a new wave band called Hey Taxi! after the Reactionaries disbanded. Tonche quit the group, citing a dislike of the audience the band initially drew, and Hurley took over as drummer in June 1980. Their first live gig was as an opening band for Black Flag
.
of Black Flag and SST Records
produced Minutemen's first 7" EP, Paranoid Time
, which solidified their eclectic style. Like most Punk bands at the time, the band sold the EP at their shows, and at a few local record stores. It became a minor hit with the hardcore
scene.
By their first LP—1981’s The Punch Line
, they had found their voice and began touring nonstop around the country. They released their second EP and third overall release entitled Bean-Spill
. By this time they were becoming one of the more popular bands in the underground scene around the country.
Early on, the band avoided "mersh" (their slang for "commercial") affectations such as guitar solos, choruses, and fade-outs. But by the time of their second LP What Makes a Man Start Fires?
, which gained considerable attention from the alternative and underground press, they were a part of the band's sound, despite maintaining their experimental and punk roots. They continued their hectic touring schedule, which included their longest tour yet; a double bill with Black Flag in Europe
. The long tour strengthened their place as one of most well known acts in the hardcore scene. Later in 1983, they released their third LP, Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat
. It was one of the first hardcore albums to include a horn (trumpet on "The Product").
Minutemen's anti-rockist eclecticism was perhaps the best exemplified on 1984's double-album, Double Nickels on the Dime
. Though still somewhat obscure to mainstream audiences, Double Nickels has been cited as one of the more innovative and enduring albums of the 1980s American rock underground. On Double Nickels, they co-wrote some songs with other musicians, notably Henry Rollins
, Chuck Dukowski
and Joe Baiza
. In 1985, they released their most commercial-sounding recording, Project: Mersh
. Though the album sounded more mainstream, it sold poorly compared to Double Nickels, due largely to the negative reaction to such a commercial album from within the underground community. They continued touring and by the time of their final album, 3-Way Tie (For Last)
, they decided to take a small break. They played their last tour with another emerging band, R.E.M. Their final concert was in Charlotte, North Carolina
on December 13, 1985.
after his friend's death, but was convinced to continue performing by Sonic Youth
. Every form of media that Watt makes or takes part in is dedicated to Boon.
This put an end to the band's plans to record a half studio/half-live triple album with the working title 3 Dudes, 6 Sides, Half Studio, Half Live. The live tracks were to be based on the ballots that they handed out, and as a way to counteract bootlegging
, especially following an incident with an Arizona
DJ. A year later, however, Watt and Hurley compiled various live recordings, based on the ballots, which was released as Ballot Result
. In addition, Richard Meltzer
had sent Watt lyrics for ten songs for an album on which he was going to collaborate. Due to Boon's death, however, none of these projects were realized.
, they formed Firehose in 1987 and have both formed solo projects since Minutemen disbanded.
Watt has created three acclaimed solo albums, recorded three others as part of the punk jazz
jam band
Banyan
with Stephen Perkins
(Jane's Addiction
), Nels Cline
(Wilco
), and Money Mark Nishita
(Beastie Boys
), contributed on "Providence" off Sonic Youth
's album Daydream Nation
and "In the Kingdom #19" and "Bubblegum" off EVOL
, toured briefly as a member of Porno for Pyros
in 1996 and J Mascis and the Fog
in 2000 and 2001, and became the bassist for The Stooges
in 2003. George Hurley has produced work with Vida, Mayo Thompson
and Red Crayola, further indulging the free-form and off-the-wall leanings showcased on Double Nickels. Hurley and Watt have also continued to make music together both live and in the studio since Firehose's splitting in 1994, starting with a track for the NORML benefit album Hempilation II in 1998. (See Legacy below for further Hurley/Watt projects.)
and Mike Watt
, who have remained friends since fIREHOSE's disbanding in 1994, reunite to play a set list of all Minutemen songs as a duet.
They refuse to have a substitute guitarist playing late Minutemen guitarist D. Boon
's parts; instead the songs will be rearranged for bass and drums. They insist that they not be billed as the Minutemen for these shows or referred to as a Minutemen reunion, as they do not want to cheapen or "vampire" the Minutemen name. Instead, they insist on being billed under their real names and that the advertisements state that they will be "playing Minutemen songs as a duet." They have been chosen by Jeff Mangum
of Neutral Milk Hotel
to perform one of these shows at the All Tomorrow's Parties
festival that he will curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England.
Prior to their Minutemen duet shows, Hurley and Watt previously reunited in 1998 to record, along with Petra Haden
and Stephen Perkins
, a song for a NORML benefit album.
, Gang Of Four
, The Pop Group
, Richard Hell & The Voidoids and The Urinals, and nearly all of their early songs had unusual structures and were less than a minute long – even later when Minutemen's music became slightly more conventional, their songs rarely passed the three-minute mark. Though Minutemen were members of the hardcore punk
community, and were somewhat influenced by the speed, brevity and intensity of hardcore punk, they were known for hybridizing punk rock and hardcore with various forms of music (like jazz
, funk
, acid rock
, and R&B
) separating them from most hardcore bands of that era. The Minutemen were fans of Captain Beefheart
, and echoes of his distinctive, disjointed, avant-blues music can be heard in their songs, especially their early output. Through most of their career they ignored standard verse-chorus-verse song structures, in favor of experimenting with musical dynamics, rhythm and noise. Later in their career they blended in more traditional song elements they had initially avoided. They also played covers
of classic rock
songs by bands such as Creedence Clearwater Revival
, Steely Dan
, and Blue Öyster Cult
.
Boon and Watt split songwriting fairly evenly (and Hurley made many contributions as well), though Watt rarely sang, and Hurley even less so. Boon's songs were typically more direct and progressively political in nature, while Watt's were often abstract, self-referential "spiels". Lyrics and themes would thus often veer from surreal humor, as in "Bob Dylan
Wrote Propaganda Songs" and "One Reporter's Opinion", to the frustrations of blue collar
life in California, as in the enduring "This Ain't No Picnic
". While many contemporaries rarely displayed a sense of humor, the Minutemen were generally more light-hearted and whimsical. One example of this can be found in the title of their album Double Nickels on the Dime
, which poked fun at Sammy Hagar
's "I Can't Drive 55
" by implying that the Minutemen preferred to take risks with their music rather than behind the wheel of a car.
" (off Double Nickels) was the theme song of the MTV
television show Jackass.
In 2000, Watt, as administrator of the band's publishing, allowed the auto maker Volvo
to use the Boon instrumental "Love Dance" (from Double Nickels...) in a car ad. Boon's royalties were paid to his father, who was suffering from emphysema
. Watt simply refers to the decision as a way for Boon to help his father from beyond the grave.
Since 2001, Watt and Hurley have done occasional gigs, mainly in the L.A. area except for two December 2004 shows in England
, playing Minutemen songs as a duo with no guitarist. At some of these gigs, Watt would set up one of Boon's old guitars and amps on the side of the stage where Boon used to stand. These performances, at Watt's insistence, are to be billed strictly as "George Hurley and Mike Watt". They are also now involved in an improvisational music group, Unknown Instructors
, with members of Saccharine Trust
and Pere Ubu
.
The group's career is chronicled in the book Our Band Could Be Your Life
, a study of 13 important American underground
rock groups by veteran music journalist Michael Azerrad
. The title is taken from the lyrics to the Double Nickels track "History Lesson – Part II."
The documentary film We Jam Econo
charts the band's history through interviews with Watt, Hurley, Henry Rollins, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
, and other California punk rock contemporaries. The film premiered at the Warner Grand Theatre
in the Minutemen's hometown of San Pedro in February 2005. The film was released on DVD in June 2006. In the spring of 2007, the documentary went into a heavy rotation cycle on various Sundance
cable television channels.
In 2003, Watt released his own book on the Minutemen, Spiels of a Minuteman, which contains all of Watt's song lyrics from the Minutemen era as well as the tour journal he wrote during the Minutemen's only Europe
an tour with Black Flag, essays by former SST
co-owner Joe Carducci
, Sonic Youth
's Thurston Moore
, Blue Öyster Cult
lyricist and longtime Watt hero Richard Meltzer
, and illustrations by Raymond Pettibon
that had been used in all of the Minutemen's album artwork. The book, released by Quebec
-based publisher L'Oie de Cravan, is published in English
and French
.
is about the Minutemen, and "The Boilerman" from Watt's second solo album Contemplating The Engine Room
(which parallels the stories of the Minutemen, Watt's father, and the novel The Sand Pebbles
) is about Boon; Watt had guitarist Nels Cline
play one of Boon's old Fender Telecaster
guitars on the track.
Sublime
(whose lead singer Bradley Nowell
also died prematurely, outliving Boon by only a year) sampled Boon saying "Punk rock changed our lives" on "History Lesson Part II" from Double Nickels as part of their song "Waiting For My Ruca" from 1992's 40 Oz. to Freedom
. On the final track from the same album titled "Thanx", all three Minutemen are mentioned. Watt repaid this salute by appearing in Sublime's video for "Wrong Way
" in 1996. Sublime also sampled George Hurley's drum intro from "It's Expected I'm Gone" for their "Get Out! (remix)" on their posthumous release Second Hand Smoke. On their eponymous debut LP
, San Diego-based indie rock
ers Pinback
also used the same drum loop from "It's Expected I'm Gone"; in his honor, the band titled the track "Hurley". Also, during a cover of the Sublime song "Get Out!" done by Bargain Music, Josh Fischell sings "Damn I was surprised when I heard 'Punk Rock Changed Our Lives', these kids dug the Minutemen too".
The Unknown Instructors track "Punk Is Whatever We Make It To Be" from their first album The Way Things Work
contains interpolations by vocalist Dan McGuire of several lyrics from Double Nickels on the Dime.
In 1994, Little Brother Records released the Minutemen tribute CD and LP Our Band Could Be Your Life. The CD version included 33 tracks by artists covering Minutemen songs, plus a track with a Boon interview and a live version of the Minutemen song "Badges". The LP version had 23 tracks, including the interview and Minutemen items.
Post-rock
band Karate
covered "The Only Minority," "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs," "This Ain't No Picnic," and "Colors" on their 2005 album, In the Fishtank 12
.
New Jersey
pop punk band The Ergs!
wrote and recorded a Minutemen tribute song entitled "Under The Influence of Minutemen (Dork Rock Changed Our Lives)."
New York punk/ska
band The Fad
also released a Minutemen tribute song entitled "Our Band Could Be Your Life", which referenced such Minutemen songs as "Vietnam" and "History Lesson Pt. 2".
Josh Fischel's group Bargain Music covers "#1 Hit Song' at the end of their track "Long Beach Millennium" on their album 77 003.
Uncle Tupelo
(who later morphed into Wilco
and Son Volt
) have a song titled "D. Boon" on their album Still Feel Gone
.
English band Hot Club de Paris
covered "The Anchor" on their album Live At Dead Lake
.
Ag Holstrom, bassist with 1980's Edinburgh
band Snowcake
, named Mike Watt as one of the top three most influential rock bass players of all time along with John Entwistle
and Jean Jacques Burnel in an article in ZigZag
magazine.
Grindcore
band Brutal Truth
covered "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs" on their 2009 album Evolution Through Revolution
.
Emmy The Great
listed "Party With Me Punker" (from The Politics of Time
) as a 'hidden gem' in The Guardian
in 2009.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers dedicated their 1991 album BloodSugarSexMagik to Mike Watt and have previously played the riff from History Lesson - Part II during live shows.
Project: Mersh) were recorded as "econo" (Pedro slang
for inexpensive, short for "economical") as possible – the group would book studio time after midnight at cut rates, tech their own shows, rehearse the songs before going into the studio, record on less-expensive used tape, and record the songs in the order they intended to have them on the record rather than waste time editing the master tape during the sequencing phase. In fact, contrary to standard practice even in indie rock, Minutemen sometimes saw records as a way to promote their tours, not the other way around.
Minutemen toured frequently, but usually for only a few weeks at a time – they all held down day jobs. Their "econo" practices helped ensure that their tours were always profitable.
Several Minutemen album sleeves and covers, such as the Paranoid Time
EP and What Makes a Man Start Fires?
LP and the inner gatefold
jacket for Double Nickels, feature drawings by noted artist Raymond Pettibon
, who was at the time associated with the SST label, providing sleeves for Black Flag. Other album covers, like on The Punch Line
, Project: Mersh
, and 3-Way Tie (For Last)
, featured paintings by Boon.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band formed in San Pedro, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1980. Composed of guitarist D. Boon
D. Boon
d. Boon born Dennes Dale Boon, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Active between 1978, when he joined The Reactionaries, and 1985, when he was killed in a van accident, Boon was best known as the guitarist and vocalist of the Californian punk rock trio Minutemen.-Youth:Dennes Boon...
, bassist Mike Watt
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
and drummer George Hurley
George Hurley
George Hurley is a drummer noted for his work with The Minutemen and fIREHOSE.Even though he went to the same high school as D. Boon and Mike Watt he did not meet them until around 1978. That same year, Hurley formed The Reactionaries with Boon, Watt, and Martin Tamburovich...
, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
before Boon's death in an automobile accident in December 1985. They were noted in the California punk community for a philosophy of "jamming econo" – a sense of thriftiness reflected in their touring and presentation – while their eclectic and experimental attitude was instrumental in pioneering alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
.
Formation
Minutemen began when D. BoonD. Boon
d. Boon born Dennes Dale Boon, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Active between 1978, when he joined The Reactionaries, and 1985, when he was killed in a van accident, Boon was best known as the guitarist and vocalist of the Californian punk rock trio Minutemen.-Youth:Dennes Boon...
and Mike Watt
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
met at age 13. Watt was walking through a park in their hometown of San Pedro, California, when Boon, playing a game of "army" with other boys, fell out of a tree right next to him, and found that his friends, one named Eskimo, must have ditched him. Both boys shared a passion for music; Boon's mother taught D. to play the guitar and suggested Watt learn to play bass. However, at first, Watt did not know the difference between bass and standard guitars. The pair eventually started playing music together, mostly covering songs from artists they admired. In the summer of 1973, Watt and Boon formed the Bright Orange Band with Boon's brother Joe on drums. In 1976 they discovered punk, however Boon's mother died and the Bright Orange Band disbanded shortly thereafter. The next year, the two joined a short-lived band called Starstruck.
Following Starstruck's disbandment, Boon and Watt met drummer George Hurley
George Hurley
George Hurley is a drummer noted for his work with The Minutemen and fIREHOSE.Even though he went to the same high school as D. Boon and Mike Watt he did not meet them until around 1978. That same year, Hurley formed The Reactionaries with Boon, Watt, and Martin Tamburovich...
and formed The Reactionaries
The Reactionaries (band)
The Reactionaries were a punk rock band formed in San Pedro, California in 1978. The band's continual members were lead vocalist Martin Tamburovich, guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley. The Reactionaries existed for most of 1978 and 1979, practicing regularly but rarely...
with vocalist Martin Tamburovich
Martin Tamburovich
Martin Tamburovich was the co-founder of New Alliance Records and vocalist for the short-lived Punk/New Wave band The Reactionaries. Tamburovich, along with his San Pedro High School classmates D. Boon, Mike Watt, and George Hurley, formed the band in 1978; they disbanded a year later...
.
After the Reactionaries disbanded, Boon and Watt formed Minutemen in January 1980. Watt has said their name had nothing at all to do with the brevity of their songs; rather, it was derived partly from the fabled minutemen militia of colonial times and partly to lampoon a right-wing reactionary
Reactionary
The term reactionary refers to viewpoints that seek to return to a previous state in a society. The term is meant to describe one end of a political spectrum whose opposite pole is "radical". While it has not been generally considered a term of praise it has been adopted as a self-description by...
group of the 1960s that went by that name. In the documentary We Jam Econo
We Jam Econo
We Jam Econo - The Story of the Minutemen, is a full-length documentary about the influential 1980s punk rock band Minutemen, created by director Tim Irwin and producer Keith Schieron in association with Rocket Fuel Films...
, Watt also states that the name was a play on "minute" (maɪˈnjuːt ). After a month with no drummer, during which Boon and Watt wrote their first songs, the band rehearsed and played a couple of early gigs with local welder Frank Tonche
Frank Tonche
Frank Tonche was the original drummer for The Minutemen.When the band was formed by D. Boon and Mike Watt after their first serious attempt at a band, The Reactionaries, fell apart, they had originally wanted their friend and fellow ex-Reactionaries drummer George Hurley to hold the drum seat, but...
on drums. The group had originally wanted George Hurley to join, but he had joined a new wave band called Hey Taxi! after the Reactionaries disbanded. Tonche quit the group, citing a dislike of the audience the band initially drew, and Hurley took over as drummer in June 1980. Their first live gig was as an opening band for Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
.
Early days
Greg GinnGreg Ginn
Gregory Regis Ginn is a guitarist, songwriter, and singer. He is best known for being the leader of and primary songwriter for the hardcore punk band Black Flag, which he founded and led from 1976 to 1986....
of Black Flag and SST Records
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
produced Minutemen's first 7" EP, Paranoid Time
Paranoid Time
Paranoid Time is the first EP by American hardcore punk band Minutemen. It is also the second ever release by the SST record label, founded by Black Flag's Greg Ginn and Chuck Dukowski.-History of the record:...
, which solidified their eclectic style. Like most Punk bands at the time, the band sold the EP at their shows, and at a few local record stores. It became a minor hit with the hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
scene.
By their first LP—1981’s The Punch Line
The Punch Line
The Punch Line is the first 12-inch and third record release by influential American punk rock band Minutemen, and the fourth-ever release from SST Records. Less than half the length of most LPs, the total playing time for all eighteen songs is a mere fifteen minutes...
, they had found their voice and began touring nonstop around the country. They released their second EP and third overall release entitled Bean-Spill
Bean-Spill
Bean-Spill is the third extended-play single and fourth release overall by American hardcore punk band Minutemen.Continuing their prolific ways - and their belief that their records served as promotional flyers for their live shows - the band recorded a new five-song EP using the same methodology -...
. By this time they were becoming one of the more popular bands in the underground scene around the country.
Early on, the band avoided "mersh" (their slang for "commercial") affectations such as guitar solos, choruses, and fade-outs. But by the time of their second LP What Makes a Man Start Fires?
What Makes a Man Start Fires?
What Makes a Man Start Fires? is the second full-length album and fifth release overall by influential American punk rock band Minutemen.At almost twice the length of their previous album, The Punch Line, the Minutemen's songs began surpassing the two-minute mark.Breaking another Minutemen record,...
, which gained considerable attention from the alternative and underground press, they were a part of the band's sound, despite maintaining their experimental and punk roots. They continued their hectic touring schedule, which included their longest tour yet; a double bill with Black Flag in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The long tour strengthened their place as one of most well known acts in the hardcore scene. Later in 1983, they released their third LP, Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat
Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat
Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat is the sixth overall release from American hardcore punk band Minutemen.-History of the EP:...
. It was one of the first hardcore albums to include a horn (trumpet on "The Product").
Minutemen's anti-rockist eclecticism was perhaps the best exemplified on 1984's double-album, Double Nickels on the Dime
Double Nickels on the Dime
Double Nickels on the Dime is the third studio album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the Californian independent record label SST Records in 1984...
. Though still somewhat obscure to mainstream audiences, Double Nickels has been cited as one of the more innovative and enduring albums of the 1980s American rock underground. On Double Nickels, they co-wrote some songs with other musicians, notably Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
, Chuck Dukowski
Chuck Dukowski
Chuck Dukowski is an American punk rock musician, best known as a founding member and bass player for Black Flag. Dukowski wrote some of Black Flag's most popular songs, including "My War," "What I See," "I've Heard It Before" and "Spray Paint." He left the band before the release of My War, and...
and Joe Baiza
Joe Baiza
Joe Baiza is a punk rock and jazz guitarist whom Eugene Chadbourne cites as one of the most noteworthy guitarists to emerge from the Southern California punk rock milieu. Baiza is a founding member of the bands Saccharine Trust, Universal Congress Of, and The Mecolodiacs...
. In 1985, they released their most commercial-sounding recording, Project: Mersh
Project Mersh
Project: Mersh is the penultimate release from the American punk rock trio Minutemen before D. Boon's death later that year in an auto accident.The cover art is a painting by D...
. Though the album sounded more mainstream, it sold poorly compared to Double Nickels, due largely to the negative reaction to such a commercial album from within the underground community. They continued touring and by the time of their final album, 3-Way Tie (For Last)
3-Way Tie (For Last)
3-Way Tie is the fourth and final full-length album recorded by the American punk band Minutemen. It is particularly notable for featuring several cover songs by bands such as the Urinals, Meat Puppets, Blue Öyster Cult, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Roky Erickson and the Aliens. It was...
, they decided to take a small break. They played their last tour with another emerging band, R.E.M. Their final concert was in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
on December 13, 1985.
D. Boon's death
On December 22, 1985, Boon was killed in a van accident, putting an end to Minutemen. Watt fell into a deep depressionClinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
after his friend's death, but was convinced to continue performing by Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
. Every form of media that Watt makes or takes part in is dedicated to Boon.
This put an end to the band's plans to record a half studio/half-live triple album with the working title 3 Dudes, 6 Sides, Half Studio, Half Live. The live tracks were to be based on the ballots that they handed out, and as a way to counteract bootlegging
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
, especially following an incident with an Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
DJ. A year later, however, Watt and Hurley compiled various live recordings, based on the ballots, which was released as Ballot Result
Ballot Result
Ballot Result is a posthumous live compilation album by Minutemen.The story of Ballot Result starts with the Tour-Spiel EP in 1984. Minutemen had been given a copy of a tape of a live radio performance for the Virgin Vinyl Show they had done in Tucson, Arizona, four songs of which they used for the...
. In addition, Richard Meltzer
Richard Meltzer
Richard Meltzer was one of the earliest rock music critics. His first book, The Aesthetics of Rock, evolved out of his undergraduate studies in philosophy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and graduate studies at Yale University...
had sent Watt lyrics for ten songs for an album on which he was going to collaborate. Due to Boon's death, however, none of these projects were realized.
After disbanding
Following Boon's death, Watt and Hurley originally intended to quit music altogether. But encouraged by Minutemen fan Ed CrawfordEd Crawford
Charles Edward Crawford, aka ed fROMOHIO, is an American best known as the lead singer and guitarist for fIREHOSE, an alternative rock band he formed in 1986 with former Minutemen members Mike Watt and George Hurley .-Biography:In 1985, Minutemen vocalist and guitarist D. Boon was killed in a van...
, they formed Firehose in 1987 and have both formed solo projects since Minutemen disbanded.
Watt has created three acclaimed solo albums, recorded three others as part of the punk jazz
Punk jazz
Punk jazz describes the amalgamation of elements of the jazz tradition with the instrumentation or conceptual heritage of punk rock...
jam band
Jam band
-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...
Banyan
Banyan (band)
Banyan is an art rock/alternative rock band with heavy jazz, funk, and punk influence, based in Los Angeles, California.The leader and co-founder is Stephen Perkins, who first played drums for Jane's Addiction , and then for Porno for Pyros. He co-founded the group with David Turin...
with Stephen Perkins
Stephen Perkins
Stephen Andrew Perkins is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellflower....
(Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
), Nels Cline
Nels Cline
Nels Cline is an American guitarist and composer, currently the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco. David Carr of the New York Times describes Cline as "one of the best guitarists in any genre."-Career:...
(Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
), and Money Mark Nishita
Money Mark
Mark Ramos-Nishita aka Money Mark is a producer and musician who has collaborated with the Beastie Boys many times. He also appears on the first Banyan album in 1997 as the "Freeway Keyboardist".-Career:...
(Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
), contributed on "Providence" off Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
's album Daydream Nation
Daydream Nation
Daydream Nation is the fifth studio album by the American alternative rock band Sonic Youth. It was released in October 1988 by Enigma Records in the United States, and by Blast First in the United Kingdom....
and "In the Kingdom #19" and "Bubblegum" off EVOL
EVOL
Evol is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released in 1986 on SST Records, and recorded and mixed by New York recording icon Martin Bisi. The album cover features a picture of Lung Leg, a still taken from Submit to Me, a film by Richard Kern...
, toured briefly as a member of Porno for Pyros
Porno for Pyros
Porno for Pyros was an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1992, following the initial break-up of Jane's Addiction...
in 1996 and J Mascis and the Fog
J Mascis and the Fog
J Mascis + The Fog is the post-Dinosaur Jr musical project embarked by Dinosaur Jr's founding member, musician J Mascis.-History:After fulfilling his contractual obligations to Blanco y Negro in the UK and Sire/Reprise in the US, Mascis holed up in his home studio in Amherst, MA, which he named...
in 2000 and 2001, and became the bassist for The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
in 2003. George Hurley has produced work with Vida, Mayo Thompson
Mayo Thompson
Mayo Thompson is an American musician and visual artist best known as the leader of the avant-garde rock band Red Crayola .-1960s:...
and Red Crayola, further indulging the free-form and off-the-wall leanings showcased on Double Nickels. Hurley and Watt have also continued to make music together both live and in the studio since Firehose's splitting in 1994, starting with a track for the NORML benefit album Hempilation II in 1998. (See Legacy below for further Hurley/Watt projects.)
George Hurley and Mike Watt
On rare occasions since 2001, and usually in the Los Angeles area (a recent exception was two December 2004 performances in England), George HurleyGeorge Hurley
George Hurley is a drummer noted for his work with The Minutemen and fIREHOSE.Even though he went to the same high school as D. Boon and Mike Watt he did not meet them until around 1978. That same year, Hurley formed The Reactionaries with Boon, Watt, and Martin Tamburovich...
and Mike Watt
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
, who have remained friends since fIREHOSE's disbanding in 1994, reunite to play a set list of all Minutemen songs as a duet.
They refuse to have a substitute guitarist playing late Minutemen guitarist D. Boon
D. Boon
d. Boon born Dennes Dale Boon, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Active between 1978, when he joined The Reactionaries, and 1985, when he was killed in a van accident, Boon was best known as the guitarist and vocalist of the Californian punk rock trio Minutemen.-Youth:Dennes Boon...
's parts; instead the songs will be rearranged for bass and drums. They insist that they not be billed as the Minutemen for these shows or referred to as a Minutemen reunion, as they do not want to cheapen or "vampire" the Minutemen name. Instead, they insist on being billed under their real names and that the advertisements state that they will be "playing Minutemen songs as a duet." They have been chosen by Jeff Mangum
Jeff Mangum
Jeff Mangum is a musician best known for being the lyricist, vocalist and guitarist of the band Neutral Milk Hotel, as well as being one of the cofounders of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. Mangum, along with the other founding members of the Elephant 6, attended Ruston High School in the late...
of Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel was an American indie rock band formed by singer, guitarist and songwriter Jeff Mangum in the early 1990s. The band was noted for its experimental sound, obscure lyrics and eclectic instrumentation....
to perform one of these shows at the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival that he will curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England.
Prior to their Minutemen duet shows, Hurley and Watt previously reunited in 1998 to record, along with Petra Haden
Petra Haden
Petra Haden is an American violinist and singer. She is or has been a member of several bands, including That Dog, Tito & Tarantula, and The Decemberists; has contributed to recordings by The Twilight Singers, Beck, Mike Watt, Luscious Jackson, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Queens of the Stone Age,...
and Stephen Perkins
Stephen Perkins
Stephen Andrew Perkins is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellflower....
, a song for a NORML benefit album.
Musical style
They were influenced heavily by bands such as WireWire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
, Gang Of Four
Gang of Four (band)
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
, The Pop Group
The Pop Group
The Pop Group are a British post-punk band from Bristol, England, formed in 1978, whose dissonant sound spanned punk, free jazz, funk and dub reggae. Their lyrics were often political in nature...
, Richard Hell & The Voidoids and The Urinals, and nearly all of their early songs had unusual structures and were less than a minute long – even later when Minutemen's music became slightly more conventional, their songs rarely passed the three-minute mark. Though Minutemen were members of the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
community, and were somewhat influenced by the speed, brevity and intensity of hardcore punk, they were known for hybridizing punk rock and hardcore with various forms of music (like jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, acid rock
Acid rock
Acid rock is a form of psychedelic rock, which is characterized with long instrumental solos, few lyrics and musical improvisation. Tom Wolfe describes the LSD-influenced music of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cream,...
, and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
) separating them from most hardcore bands of that era. The Minutemen were fans of Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
, and echoes of his distinctive, disjointed, avant-blues music can be heard in their songs, especially their early output. Through most of their career they ignored standard verse-chorus-verse song structures, in favor of experimenting with musical dynamics, rhythm and noise. Later in their career they blended in more traditional song elements they had initially avoided. They also played covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
songs by bands such as Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
, Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
, and Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
.
Boon and Watt split songwriting fairly evenly (and Hurley made many contributions as well), though Watt rarely sang, and Hurley even less so. Boon's songs were typically more direct and progressively political in nature, while Watt's were often abstract, self-referential "spiels". Lyrics and themes would thus often veer from surreal humor, as in "Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
Wrote Propaganda Songs" and "One Reporter's Opinion", to the frustrations of blue collar
Blue collar
Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...
life in California, as in the enduring "This Ain't No Picnic
This Ain't No Picnic
"This Ain't No Picnic" is a song by punk/alternative band Minutemen. It appears on their 1984 double album Double Nickels on the Dime, and was composed by their lead singer and guitarist D. Boon.-Background:...
". While many contemporaries rarely displayed a sense of humor, the Minutemen were generally more light-hearted and whimsical. One example of this can be found in the title of their album Double Nickels on the Dime
Double Nickels on the Dime
Double Nickels on the Dime is the third studio album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the Californian independent record label SST Records in 1984...
, which poked fun at Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
's "I Can't Drive 55
I Can't Drive 55
"I Can't Drive 55" was the lead single and first track from Sammy Hagar's eighth studio album VOA in 1984. Perpetuated by a very successful music video, it became a concert staple that continued throughout Sammy's tours as a member of Van Halen....
" by implying that the Minutemen preferred to take risks with their music rather than behind the wheel of a car.
Legacy
From 1999 until the show's cancellation, an instrumental version of the Minutemen song "CoronaCorona (song)
"Corona" is a song by American punk/alternative trio Minutemen from the album Double Nickels on the Dime, which was composed by the band's lead singer and guitarist D. Boon....
" (off Double Nickels) was the theme song of the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
television show Jackass.
In 2000, Watt, as administrator of the band's publishing, allowed the auto maker Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
to use the Boon instrumental "Love Dance" (from Double Nickels...) in a car ad. Boon's royalties were paid to his father, who was suffering from emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
. Watt simply refers to the decision as a way for Boon to help his father from beyond the grave.
Since 2001, Watt and Hurley have done occasional gigs, mainly in the L.A. area except for two December 2004 shows in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, playing Minutemen songs as a duo with no guitarist. At some of these gigs, Watt would set up one of Boon's old guitars and amps on the side of the stage where Boon used to stand. These performances, at Watt's insistence, are to be billed strictly as "George Hurley and Mike Watt". They are also now involved in an improvisational music group, Unknown Instructors
Unknown Instructors
The Unknown Instructors are an all-star improvisational rock outfit that features the former rhythm section of The Minutemen and fIREHOSE, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley; Saccharine Trust members, guitarist Joe Baiza and vocalist Jack Brewer; and vocalist/saxophonist Dan McGuire.Their...
, with members of Saccharine Trust
Saccharine Trust
Saccharine Trust is a post-hardcore band from California that was started in 1980 by singer Jack Brewer and guitarist Joe Baiza.The band would frequently perform with SST labelmates Minutemen and Black Flag. Drummer Rob Holzman appeared on their 1981 debut Paganicons but left the band to play in...
and Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu (band)
Pere Ubu is an experimental rock music group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. Despite many long-term band members, singer David Thomas is the only constant...
.
The group's career is chronicled in the book Our Band Could Be Your Life
Our Band Could Be Your Life
Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 is a book by Michael Azerrad. It chronicles the careers of several underground rock bands who, while finding little or no mainstream success, were hugely influential in establishing American alternative and indie...
, a study of 13 important American underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
rock groups by veteran music journalist Michael Azerrad
Michael Azerrad
Michael Azerrad is an American author, journalist and musician. He grew up in the New York City area and received his BA degree from Columbia College in 1983...
. The title is taken from the lyrics to the Double Nickels track "History Lesson – Part II."
The documentary film We Jam Econo
We Jam Econo
We Jam Econo - The Story of the Minutemen, is a full-length documentary about the influential 1980s punk rock band Minutemen, created by director Tim Irwin and producer Keith Schieron in association with Rocket Fuel Films...
charts the band's history through interviews with Watt, Hurley, Henry Rollins, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, and other California punk rock contemporaries. The film premiered at the Warner Grand Theatre
Warner Grand Theatre
The Warner Grand Theatre is an historic movie palace which was opened on January 20, 1931. It is located in San Pedro, California, at 478 West 6th Street in the United States of America....
in the Minutemen's hometown of San Pedro in February 2005. The film was released on DVD in June 2006. In the spring of 2007, the documentary went into a heavy rotation cycle on various Sundance
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
cable television channels.
In 2003, Watt released his own book on the Minutemen, Spiels of a Minuteman, which contains all of Watt's song lyrics from the Minutemen era as well as the tour journal he wrote during the Minutemen's only Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an tour with Black Flag, essays by former SST
SST
The acronym SST may refer to:In aircraft and naval vehicles*Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo*SST class blimp SS class blimp*Supersonic transport , civil aircraft for transporting passengers faster than the speed of sound....
co-owner Joe Carducci
Joe Carducci
Joe Carducci is an American writer, record producer, and former A&R executive, formerly most closely associated with the influential record label SST Records....
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
's Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
, Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
lyricist and longtime Watt hero Richard Meltzer
Richard Meltzer
Richard Meltzer was one of the earliest rock music critics. His first book, The Aesthetics of Rock, evolved out of his undergraduate studies in philosophy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and graduate studies at Yale University...
, and illustrations by Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon is an American artist who currently lives and works in Venice Beach, California.-Early life:...
that had been used in all of the Minutemen's album artwork. The book, released by Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
-based publisher L'Oie de Cravan, is published in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
Covers and tributes
Watt has dedicated all of Firehose's releases and his solo albums to the memory of Boon. "Disciples of the 3-Way" on Firehose's final studio album Mr. Machinery OperatorMr. Machinery Operator
Mr. Machinery Operator is the fifth and last album by the American alternative rock band Firehose. It is also their second album to be released on the major label, Columbia Records.-Track listing:# "Formal Introduction"# "Blaze"# "Herded into Pools"...
is about the Minutemen, and "The Boilerman" from Watt's second solo album Contemplating The Engine Room
Contemplating the Engine Room
Contemplating the Engine Room is a punk rock opera by Minutemen veteran Mike Watt.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Mike Watt#"In The Engine Room"#"Red Bluff"#"The Bluejackets' Manual"#"Pedro Bound!"#"The Boilerman"#"Black Gang Coffee"...
(which parallels the stories of the Minutemen, Watt's father, and the novel The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles (film)
The Sand Pebbles is a 1966 American period war film directed by Robert Wise. It tells the story of an independent, rebellious U.S. Navy Machinist's Mate aboard the fictional gunboat USS San Pablo in 1920s China....
) is about Boon; Watt had guitarist Nels Cline
Nels Cline
Nels Cline is an American guitarist and composer, currently the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco. David Carr of the New York Times describes Cline as "one of the best guitarists in any genre."-Career:...
play one of Boon's old Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
guitars on the track.
Sublime
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
(whose lead singer Bradley Nowell
Bradley Nowell
Bradley James Nowell was an American musician who served as lead singer and guitarist of the Californian band Sublime. He died at the age of 28 from a heroin overdose shortly before the release of Sublime's self-titled major label debut.Raised in Long Beach, California, Nowell developed an...
also died prematurely, outliving Boon by only a year) sampled Boon saying "Punk rock changed our lives" on "History Lesson Part II" from Double Nickels as part of their song "Waiting For My Ruca" from 1992's 40 Oz. to Freedom
40 Oz. to Freedom
40oz. to Freedom is the 1992 debut album by the Southern California ska-punk band Sublime released by Skunk Records and again by MCA. 40oz. to Freedom received mixed critical reviews upon its first release, but has earned an improved public perception since...
. On the final track from the same album titled "Thanx", all three Minutemen are mentioned. Watt repaid this salute by appearing in Sublime's video for "Wrong Way
Wrong Way
"Wrong Way" is a 1997 single from Sublime's 1996 self-titled third album that fits squarely within the punk rock-inspired third wave ska movement of the 1990s...
" in 1996. Sublime also sampled George Hurley's drum intro from "It's Expected I'm Gone" for their "Get Out! (remix)" on their posthumous release Second Hand Smoke. On their eponymous debut LP
Pinback (album)
This Is A Pinback CD is the debut album by the indie rock band Pinback. There are at least two different versions of this CD. The first version was released by Ace Fu Records on October 12 1999. Another was released that same year in Europe by Cutty Shark Records...
, San Diego-based indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
ers Pinback
Pinback
Pinback is an indie rock band from San Diego, California, currently signed to Temporary Residence Ltd. The band was formed in 1998 by singers, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow. Tom Zinser, Chris Prescott, and Mario Rubalcaba have all contributed drums...
also used the same drum loop from "It's Expected I'm Gone"; in his honor, the band titled the track "Hurley". Also, during a cover of the Sublime song "Get Out!" done by Bargain Music, Josh Fischell sings "Damn I was surprised when I heard 'Punk Rock Changed Our Lives', these kids dug the Minutemen too".
The Unknown Instructors track "Punk Is Whatever We Make It To Be" from their first album The Way Things Work
The Way Things Work (album)
The Way Things Work is the debut album by American improvisational band Unknown Instructors, featuring Mike Watt , George Hurley , Joe Baiza , Jack Brewer , and poet Dan McGuire.The album was created and recorded on the spot in one day in 2003...
contains interpolations by vocalist Dan McGuire of several lyrics from Double Nickels on the Dime.
In 1994, Little Brother Records released the Minutemen tribute CD and LP Our Band Could Be Your Life. The CD version included 33 tracks by artists covering Minutemen songs, plus a track with a Boon interview and a live version of the Minutemen song "Badges". The LP version had 23 tracks, including the interview and Minutemen items.
Post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
band Karate
Karate (band)
Karate was an American band, formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1993 by Geoff Farina, Eamonn Vitt and Gavin McCarthy. In 1995, Jeff Goddard joined the band as bass player, and Vitt moved to second guitar...
covered "The Only Minority," "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs," "This Ain't No Picnic," and "Colors" on their 2005 album, In the Fishtank 12
In The Fishtank 12
In the Fishtank 12 is an EP released in 2005 and recorded by the Boston-based band Karate. Part of the In the Fishtank series released by Dutch music distributor Konkurrent, it would prove to be Karate's last studio recording. Karate broke up later that year due to frontman Geoff Farina's...
.
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
pop punk band The Ergs!
The Ergs!
The Ergs! were an American punk rock band formed in 2000 in South Amboy, New Jersey, by three high school friends: drummer/lead vocalist Mikey Erg , guitarist/vocalist Jeff Erg , and bassist Joey Erg...
wrote and recorded a Minutemen tribute song entitled "Under The Influence of Minutemen (Dork Rock Changed Our Lives)."
New York punk/ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band The Fad
The Fad
"The Fad" is the third and final single from Chevelle's 2007 album, Vena Sera. Pete Loeffler stated in a live show that he wrote this song while in Las Vegas.-Music video:The music video was premiered on the internet on March 3, 2008...
also released a Minutemen tribute song entitled "Our Band Could Be Your Life", which referenced such Minutemen songs as "Vietnam" and "History Lesson Pt. 2".
Josh Fischel's group Bargain Music covers "#1 Hit Song' at the end of their track "Long Beach Millennium" on their album 77 003.
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville...
(who later morphed into Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
and Son Volt
Son Volt
Son Volt is an alternative country group formed by Jay Farrar in 1994 after the breakup of the band Uncle Tupelo.-History:The group formed after Farrar met Jim and Dave Boquist during the final Uncle Tupelo tour. Together with former Uncle Tupelo drummer Mike Heidorn, the band rehearsed and...
) have a song titled "D. Boon" on their album Still Feel Gone
Still Feel Gone
Still Feel Gone is the second album by American alternative country pioneers Uncle Tupelo. It was released in 1991 on Rockville Records and re-released in 2003 by Sony Legacy.-Track listing:...
.
English band Hot Club de Paris
Hot Club De Paris
Hot Club de Paris are an English band from Liverpool. They are signed to the London-based Moshi Moshi Records and released their debut album Drop It 'Til It Pops in October 2006...
covered "The Anchor" on their album Live At Dead Lake
Live at Dead Lake
Live At Dead Lake is the second album from English indie band Hot Club De Paris, which was released in mid-2008. The first single released from the album is entitled "Hey Housebrick" and was released on 16 June on Moshi Moshi records...
.
Ag Holstrom, bassist with 1980's Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
band Snowcake
Snowcake (band)
Snowcake was a band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1983 by guitarist-singer Axel Fischer and bassist Ag Holstrom which was notable for its influence on US alternative rock bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s....
, named Mike Watt as one of the top three most influential rock bass players of all time along with John Entwistle
John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle was an English bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, horn player, and film and record producer who was best known as the bass player for the rock band The Who. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players...
and Jean Jacques Burnel in an article in ZigZag
Zigzag
A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular....
magazine.
Grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
band Brutal Truth
Brutal Truth
Brutal Truth is an American grindcore band from New York City, formed by ex-Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, and Stormtroopers Of Death bass guitarist Dan Lilker in 1990. The group disbanded in 1999, but reformed in 2006 and continue to release new music.-History:...
covered "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs" on their 2009 album Evolution Through Revolution
Evolution Through Revolution
Evolution Through Revolution is the fifth studio album by grindcore band Brutal Truth. This was the band's first album since 1997, recorded after an eight-year hiatus. Evolution Through Revolution was released April 14, 2009. It sold around 1000 copies in its first week, and debuted at No...
.
Emmy The Great
Emmy the Great
Emma-Lee Moss , known by her stage name Emmy the Great, is a London-based singer-songwriter. She has released two albums, First Love and Virtue.-Early life:Moss was born in Hong Kong to an English father and a Chinese mother...
listed "Party With Me Punker" (from The Politics of Time
The Politics of Time
The Politics of Time is the seventh overall release, third album-length release, and first compilation by American hardcore punk band the Minutemen....
) as a 'hidden gem' in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
in 2009.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers dedicated their 1991 album BloodSugarSexMagik to Mike Watt and have previously played the riff from History Lesson - Part II during live shows.
Economical practices
The group's early recordings (up until their 1985 12" EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Project: Mersh) were recorded as "econo" (Pedro slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
for inexpensive, short for "economical") as possible – the group would book studio time after midnight at cut rates, tech their own shows, rehearse the songs before going into the studio, record on less-expensive used tape, and record the songs in the order they intended to have them on the record rather than waste time editing the master tape during the sequencing phase. In fact, contrary to standard practice even in indie rock, Minutemen sometimes saw records as a way to promote their tours, not the other way around.
Minutemen toured frequently, but usually for only a few weeks at a time – they all held down day jobs. Their "econo" practices helped ensure that their tours were always profitable.
Several Minutemen album sleeves and covers, such as the Paranoid Time
Paranoid Time
Paranoid Time is the first EP by American hardcore punk band Minutemen. It is also the second ever release by the SST record label, founded by Black Flag's Greg Ginn and Chuck Dukowski.-History of the record:...
EP and What Makes a Man Start Fires?
What Makes a Man Start Fires?
What Makes a Man Start Fires? is the second full-length album and fifth release overall by influential American punk rock band Minutemen.At almost twice the length of their previous album, The Punch Line, the Minutemen's songs began surpassing the two-minute mark.Breaking another Minutemen record,...
LP and the inner gatefold
Gatefold
A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as vinyl records.- LP covers :...
jacket for Double Nickels, feature drawings by noted artist Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon is an American artist who currently lives and works in Venice Beach, California.-Early life:...
, who was at the time associated with the SST label, providing sleeves for Black Flag. Other album covers, like on The Punch Line
The Punch Line
The Punch Line is the first 12-inch and third record release by influential American punk rock band Minutemen, and the fourth-ever release from SST Records. Less than half the length of most LPs, the total playing time for all eighteen songs is a mere fifteen minutes...
, Project: Mersh
Project Mersh
Project: Mersh is the penultimate release from the American punk rock trio Minutemen before D. Boon's death later that year in an auto accident.The cover art is a painting by D...
, and 3-Way Tie (For Last)
3-Way Tie (For Last)
3-Way Tie is the fourth and final full-length album recorded by the American punk band Minutemen. It is particularly notable for featuring several cover songs by bands such as the Urinals, Meat Puppets, Blue Öyster Cult, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Roky Erickson and the Aliens. It was...
, featured paintings by Boon.
Studio albums
- The Punch LineThe Punch LineThe Punch Line is the first 12-inch and third record release by influential American punk rock band Minutemen, and the fourth-ever release from SST Records. Less than half the length of most LPs, the total playing time for all eighteen songs is a mere fifteen minutes...
(1981) - What Makes a Man Start Fires?What Makes a Man Start Fires?What Makes a Man Start Fires? is the second full-length album and fifth release overall by influential American punk rock band Minutemen.At almost twice the length of their previous album, The Punch Line, the Minutemen's songs began surpassing the two-minute mark.Breaking another Minutemen record,...
(1983) - Double Nickels on the DimeDouble Nickels on the DimeDouble Nickels on the Dime is the third studio album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the Californian independent record label SST Records in 1984...
(1984) - 3-Way Tie (For Last)3-Way Tie (For Last)3-Way Tie is the fourth and final full-length album recorded by the American punk band Minutemen. It is particularly notable for featuring several cover songs by bands such as the Urinals, Meat Puppets, Blue Öyster Cult, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Roky Erickson and the Aliens. It was...
(1985)
Extended plays
- Paranoid TimeParanoid TimeParanoid Time is the first EP by American hardcore punk band Minutemen. It is also the second ever release by the SST record label, founded by Black Flag's Greg Ginn and Chuck Dukowski.-History of the record:...
(1980) - JoyJoy (EP)Joy is a three-song seven-inch EP by American hardcore punk band Minutemen. Recorded not long after the release of their first EP Paranoid Time, it was the first release that Minutemen had issued on their own New Alliance Records label in 1981...
(1981) - Bean-SpillBean-SpillBean-Spill is the third extended-play single and fourth release overall by American hardcore punk band Minutemen.Continuing their prolific ways - and their belief that their records served as promotional flyers for their live shows - the band recorded a new five-song EP using the same methodology -...
(1982) - Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of HeatBuzz or Howl Under the Influence of HeatBuzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat is the sixth overall release from American hardcore punk band Minutemen.-History of the EP:...
(1983) - Tour-SpielTour-SpielTour-Spiel is an EP by Minutemen released in 1984. It contained four songs, all covers.-Track listing:# Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love # The Red and the Black # Green River # Lost...
(1984) - Project: MershProject MershProject: Mersh is the penultimate release from the American punk rock trio Minutemen before D. Boon's death later that year in an auto accident.The cover art is a painting by D...
(1985) - MinuteflagMinuteflagMinuteflag was an experimental jam band collaboration between members of the American punk bands Minutemen and Black Flag. Their only release, an EP, consists almost entirely of instrumentals with the exception of "Fetch The Water" which features D...
(1985) - Minutemen/Saccharine Trust split (2011)
Compilations
- The Politics of TimeThe Politics of TimeThe Politics of Time is the seventh overall release, third album-length release, and first compilation by American hardcore punk band the Minutemen....
(1984) - My First BellsMy First BellsMy First Bells is a compilation album from the American punk rock band Minutemen, released on SST Records in 1985....
(1985) - Ballot ResultBallot ResultBallot Result is a posthumous live compilation album by Minutemen.The story of Ballot Result starts with the Tour-Spiel EP in 1984. Minutemen had been given a copy of a tape of a live radio performance for the Virgin Vinyl Show they had done in Tucson, Arizona, four songs of which they used for the...
(1986) - Introducing the MinutemenIntroducing the MinutemenIntroducing the Minutemen is a retrospective and relatively comprehensive compilation of songs by influential punk/alternative trio The Minutemen, compiled by bassist and notable solo artist Mike Watt twelve years after the untimely demise of the band...
(1998)
Further reading
- Joe CarducciJoe CarducciJoe Carducci is an American writer, record producer, and former A&R executive, formerly most closely associated with the influential record label SST Records....
, Rock and the Pop NarcoticRock and the Pop NarcoticRock and the Pop Narcotic is a 1991 book of popular music criticism by Joe Carducci. Rock and the Pop Narcotic is perhaps the only book of popular music criticism that attempts to achieve a genuine aesthetic of rock music...
(Los Angeles: 2.13.612.13.612.13.61, Inc. is a publisher and record company founded by musician Henry Rollins and named after his birthday . The company has released albums by the Rollins Band, all of Rollins's spoken-word work, and numerous books....
, 1993). ISBN 0-9627612-1-4 - Mike WattMike WattMichael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
, Spiels of a Minuteman (Quebec, Canada: L'Oie De Cravan, 2003) ISBN 2-922399-20-6
External links
- Mike Watt's Hoot Page (contains Minutemen information as well as Watt's other projects)
- Corndogs.org (Watt-approved fan page featuring rare and out-of-print downloads)
- A Tribure to "We Jam Econo" – an original moment in time, man! by poet Charles Plymell, 2008